CHAPTER 45**

045 - Only Fit for Fertilizer

‘There is something about this human.’

That was the first thought that came to Kalesian's mind when he saw Jinwoo.

Was it because he had traces of devouring his kin? Of course, that was part of it. But that wasn't the only reason.

He could feel something from Jinwoo's soul itself.

‘I don't know what it is, but…’

He watched out of curiosity. And in reality, he accomplished a great feat.

Island. A monster he thought the S-class Hunters of Earth would be unable to defeat. And yet, he had taken it down single-handedly.

To defeat a minion of Erosion. And a minion of that vicious and relentless Lord of Oppression and Ceiling, no less.

‘With this human, it might not be a dream to plunder the Lord's divine artifact.’

The medium through which the Lords intervened in the Gates. The channel for transmitting their will from the 6th Floor, the Spirit Realm, to the lower worlds.

Conversely, it meant that if one obtained that divine artifact, it would be possible to interfere with the 6th Floor from this side.

‘I tried to raid it once before.’

Unfortunately, he had failed. The guardian protecting the divine artifact was a being he could not overcome in his current state.

If he had molted normally, he would have won easily, but then it would have been impossible to descend to the 3rd Floor in the first place. It was a meaningless hypothetical.

So he waited.

For a human who possessed 'something'.

A human who held some mystery that defied his predictions.

"I want to ask you something."

"What is it?"

"Do you know about the existence of the Lords?"

"...That's surprising. That you know of the Lords, Mr. Jinwoo."

This man was truly a mystery. How did a human know of the Lords' existence?

‘He could have heard it from the elves or someone else in the Gate.’

He dismissed it as nothing significant, but then—

"Do you also know that the one who sent Island to Earth was the Lord of Oppression and Ceiling?"

"...!"

He couldn't help but be truly astonished by that.

One could know of the Lords' existence as a piece of knowledge. But the fact that Island was its minion was not something that could be learned from secondhand information.

Now he was certain.

‘This is the one!’

To obtain the Lord's divine artifact, he needed this human.

Back in his hotel room, Jinwoo took off the coat he had received as a gift and tossed it carelessly onto a hanger.

As he threw it, he remembered it was an incredibly expensive luxury coat, but he didn't pay it much mind. So what if it got a little wrinkled? Whether it was a luxury item or not, it was ultimately made to be worn comfortably.

Do you know the true nature of the Lords?

He sat in a chair, recalling the conversation from earlier.

The true nature of the Lords? Is there something more to them than just being the rulers of Erosion?

The Lords are beings belonging to the 6th Floor, the Spirit Realm.

—The Spirit Realm?

Literally, the world where spirits live. Do you know what that means?

He knew there was a world beyond the 5th Floor in the Gate. He had heard there were red portals on the 5th Floor as well.

But he had no information about the 6th Floor. Not a single Hunter who had entered had ever returned alive.

‘Spirits.’

Rona had said that she trained with the sword to become a spirit. From what he had heard from her, spirits seemed to be beings like gods or divine immortals.

The fact that the Lords belonged to that place meant…

Are you saying the Lords are spirits?

—That's right.

Jinwoo recalled the gate that the God of the Ice Valley—the Lord of Snow and Ice—had opened.

The gate to hell that had dragged Johann away. A being who could wield something like that was a spirit?

I thought spirits were more mystical and noble beings.

There are all kinds of spirits. Some are like that, and some are eccentric. However, those called Lords are special even among spirits.

—Special?

—Because they harbor the Seeds of Erosion.

Kalesian had told Jinwoo many things, as if revealing the hidden truths of the world.

—In the beginning, there was one Erosion, and it was eventually split into twelve seeds. The spirits who harbor those separated seeds are the current Lords.

Wait, twelve? Not three?

—Twelve is correct. The First Monarch was split into twelve seeds, and the current Lords possess those seeds.

Then who is the thirteenth god on the 2nd Floor?

I do not know. Perhaps some bored spirit decided to join in.

He genuinely seemed not to know. And he didn't seem very interested, either.

Kalesian was only interested in one thing.

—What I want to say is that the Lord's divine artifact on the 3rd Floor is a treasure connected to the 6th Floor. The Lords use it to intervene in the lower worlds.

Is that why you desire it so much?

I want to intercept it and obtain a clue to connect to the 6th Floor. The 6th Floor is a place that is difficult for even most ancient dragons to ascend to.

Jinwoo understood why Kalesian's eyes gleamed at the mention of the Lord's divine artifact.

Kalesian, who had wanted to see other worlds, was also curious about the 6th Floor and wished to see that world someday.

But that had nothing to do with Jinwoo.

Jinwoo was a Hunter just now ascending to the 3rd Floor, not at the stage of looking towards the 6th Floor.

If he were an S-class Hunter stuck on the 5th Floor, he might have been interested, but for him now, it was too soon.

Perhaps sensing Jinwoo's lack of interest, Kalesian spoke in a slightly anxious tone.

If you're not interested in the artifact itself, how about this? Let's raid the divine artifact of the Sky God together.

The Sky God's?

Seeing Jinwoo finally show a bit of interest, Kalesian continued.

—They say that one has a particularly foul temper, even among the Lords. As you know, he is the one targeting Earth. Aren't you interested in raiding his divine artifact?

—If we steal his divine artifact, will he be unable to interfere with Earth?

—That… no. The Earth and the Gate are separate. But the Sky God himself might be a little intimidated.

After a moment of thought, Jinwoo shook his head.

It was no simple task, something even a dragon considered dangerous, yet the merit was small. There was no reason for him to get involved.

—I'm sorry. I don't think I can join you.

—Is that so.

—I'm sorry to refuse after you've told me such valuable information.

It's quite all right. It's not something that must be done immediately, and I have nothing but time. I will slowly find another way.

He had parted ways with him after that bitter smile.

He felt a little sorry for refusing, as Kalesian had likely shared all that information to entice him.

Still, wouldn't it be strange to rashly agree to such a dangerous task just because he heard a story?

"Hoo…"

He loosened his collar and leaned back in the rocking chair.

He had a brief dream. Not a memory, just a simple dream.

He was a gardener tending a small garden, and in it were many lives. Grass, trees, insects. Large and small beasts, and chirping birds.

The decaying corpses of beasts became nutrients for the grass and trees, and their leaves became food for the insects. The birds ate their fill of insects, and the beasts hunted the birds to fill their hungry stomachs.

In that revolving world, everyone could eat their fill. While there might be individuals who starved due to environment or circumstance, no species as a whole died of starvation. That was the gardener's role.

He opened his eyes. On the side table next to the chair were simple snacks like crackers prepared by the hotel.

The savory grain scent of the biscuit was impressive. The golden wheat fields he had briefly seen in his dream flashed before his eyes.

Ma Doo-sik, the mayor of Seoul, was meeting with Cheon Juhyeok. He had summoned him for a specific reason.

"Hunter Cheon Juhyeok, have you heard the news about Hunter Kang Jinwoo?"

"Of course! I've been reading all the news and leaving comments. I've watched the video, too."

Seeing Cheon Juhyeok's enthusiasm, which was even greater than he expected, Ma Doo-sik chuckled.

Before Jinwoo's return, he had been the one crying out about Johann's murder. Even with the help of his grandfather, the chairman of the Cheonok Group, the face and voice at the forefront had been his.

At the time, there had been much criticism and condemnation of his claims, but he had endured it all alone. All to clear Jinwoo's name.

‘But he was alive! And he flew straight to New York and did all that!’

Now, public opinion had completely flipped.

With it being almost certain that Johann had attacked Jinwoo, all criticism against Cheon Juhyeok had vanished.

Not only that, but thanks to Kang Jinwoo decisively resolving the crisis of New York's destruction, Jinwoo's stock was skyrocketing endlessly.

‘And then there's that video.’

The video was the finishing touch. The footage, taken by Kurenai Masato, of Jinwoo cutting down Island's heart.

News simply stating that 'such-and-such Hunter resolved the issue' would have had a hard time spreading. Especially since Jinwoo was E-class, conspiracy theories might have arisen, suggesting he was being deliberately propped up.

But the video was definitive.

Countless sword-wielding Hunters said in unison: the single sword strike in that short video was absolutely not that of an E-class.

It was said that active A-class swordsmen had analyzed the strike and devoted themselves to training to replicate it, but not a single one had succeeded.

"It was true after all! That he defeated Johann! It was true!"

Since he was a Hunter who could wield such a sword, it must also be true that he killed an S-class warlock. For days, Cheon Juhyeok had been unable to contain his excitement at the truth of what Jinwoo had told him that day.

Just what an incredible person had he met and been saved by?

"Haha, I had my doubts, but now I believe it completely. That everything you said was true, Hunter Cheon Juhyeok."

"Right? So, why did you want to see me?"

"I wanted to ask about that day in more detail. What was Johann like, and how did Hunter Kang Jinwoo fight and defeat him?"

"What I told you before is pretty much everything… Why are you asking again?"

"Take a look at this."

Ma Doo-sik took out a clipboard and showed it to Cheon Juhyeok. A single document was clipped to it, a document from the Hunter Management Bureau.

「Reconfirmation of Special Case Implementation Guidelines for S-Class Hunter Promotion」

"Uh, this is?"

"Actually, Hunter Kang Jinwoo's promotion to S-class is being discussed. He's a Hunter the whole world is watching; we can't just leave him as an E-class."

The promotion was necessary, if only to keep Kang Jinwoo in Seoul.

If they left things as they were, New York, Hong Kong, or anywhere else could tempt him with offers like, 'Come to our side, and we'll designate you as an S-class and shower you with related benefits.'

"S-class! Hyung-nim is becoming an S-class!?"

"His own intention is important, so it will be after he returns from New York. But we need to prepare. Thanks to that, I've been quite busy lately."

Ma Doo-sik chuckled and closed the clipboard. As it was a special case, there were many things to review, and he was personally handling the necessary procedures.

Looking after the convenience of Hunters was originally the job of the Management Bureau, but for someone of S-class, it wasn't strange for the mayor to move personally. As a former S-class Hunter himself, this was even more true.

A month later, New York began to distribute the reward money. Due to the scale of the incident, there were still many procedures left, but the decided amounts were communicated.

"Ones, tens, hundreds, thousands, ten thousands… Wow, how much is all this?"

It was an unbelievable amount of money. It wasn't like Tokyo, which had given him a national treasure-class sword, but the sheer monetary sum was enormous.

Even Jinwoo, who had become indifferent to money after being able to eat his fill, felt dizzy from the sheer violence of the numbers.

"Chartia, did the other S-class Hunters receive this much too?"

"Less than that. In the end, you were the one who defeated Island, so your contribution was recognized."

"But the S-class Hunters were the ones who held Island back and prevented New York's destruction. Weren't there any objections?"

"Not at all. There were some minor complaints, but not a single country filed a formal protest."

That was what was truly surprising. While Jinwoo's contribution was outstanding, the other S-class Hunters had also contributed significantly. Yet there wasn't a single formal protest.

"Everyone is wary of you, Jinwoo."

"Wary of me? Why?"

"What would they do if another creature like Island appeared after getting on your bad side? You're the only solution. They can't take that risk just for a few extra bucks."

"I wouldn't hold a grudge over something like this…"

"Those people don't know you that well."

In any case, the incoming money was a good thing. At this point, he felt he had achieved complete financial freedom. It might actually be enough for three generations to live off of.

"Having a lot of money is good, but there's always a limit. You should convert it into physical assets while it still has sufficient value."

"For example?"

"You know, there's real estate, jewelry… Either way, it'll be safer than paper money."

"I'll keep that in mind."

As Chartia said, physical assets were indeed safer than cash. It might be a good idea to hire a professional and start managing his wealth.

‘Land or buildings are a sure bet, but if they get hit by Erosion, their value could plummet… Should I diversify my investments?’

Putting everything in one basket probably wasn't a good idea. Diversification was the basis of investment, after all.

"More importantly, I'm planning to go up to the 3rd Floor this time."

"That's a good idea. The 2nd Floor is a bit mediocre in terms of profit unless you're aiming for a jackpot magic item. For you, Jinwoo, even the 4th or 5th Floor might be fine, no? Or would the 5th Floor still be too dangerous?"

"I'm thinking of visiting the Temple of the Moonlight Forest on the 3rd Floor."

"Ah."

His original plan had been to safely search for the altar on the 2nd Floor. However, going to the temple on the 3rd Floor was more certain than combing through the 2nd Floor's underground labyrinth.

The 3rd Floor, Pandemonium.

A place where a single city housed the temples of the 13 Gods, surrounded by numerous dangerous zones.

There, Hunters would choose a god, undertake trials, and raise their Contribution. It was a Floor where one received blessings or rewards based on that Contribution.

Unlike the 2nd Floor's underground labyrinth, the temples on the 3rd Floor had fixed locations, so they could be found immediately.

Of course, that also meant the risk of encountering other Hunters or different species was high.

"Do you really think the God of the Moonlight Forest is the World Tree, like you said?"

"We'll see. I plan on finding out, but I'm not sure if it'll work."

True to his word, Jinwoo had prepared offerings for the God of the Moonlight Forest while waiting for the Gate to open.

The goal wasn't the Contribution itself, but to investigate the god's identity.

Therefore, he had prepared the widest possible variety of items.

'The thing it supposedly likes most is an Elf's corpse, but I can't get that. Things from the forest, like fruits and mushrooms, are easy enough to grab.'

Just in case, he also packed shaved ice and ice cream, which the God of the Ice Valley had liked. He even packed gardening tools for tending a garden and plant nutrients infused with Chartia's energy.

'I need to draw out as many different reactions as possible.'

He didn't know if he could find out whether the God of the Moonlight Forest was the World Tree just by making a few offerings. Still, he had to try everything he could.

He went through the department store from the basement to the top floor, gathering a generous amount of every type of item. Things like clothes and bags, and even completely random items like picture books, toys, dolls, and balls.

But he couldn't guess what the reaction would be. He hoped he hadn't just packed a pile of garbage that would only be used as fertilizer.

'Come to think of it.'

As he packed, a question suddenly occurred to him.

If all 13 Gods' temples have a divine artifact, does the Temple of the Moonlight Forest have one, too? And a guardian to protect it?

He wondered if the divine artifact that Kalesian said he couldn't obtain on his own might also be there.